Underwater Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll
|Area = Mo'ia Atoll |GR = Accessible from D-6 in Manoa Lai |topdepth = 0 ft (0 m) |maxdepth = 100 ft (30 m) |cutscenea = The player enters the Ruins for the first time with help from the whale shark. |cutsceneb = The player is swept back by one of the water-spouting machines; Katherine comments on how odd such an occurrence is. |cutscenec = The player touches a loose part of the ceiling from outside of the ruins, the ceiling collapses, and the player is granted access to the Prince's Room. }} The Underwater Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll are a set of mysterious, ancient ruins in . Flora, Fauna, and Geography Local Life Within the Ruins, there is a wide variety of all sizes of life. There are a variety of species from all across Manoa Lai, including a few green sea turtles that patrol some of the halls and assorted tropical fish like bicolor parrotfish, emperor angelfish, and Starck's demoiselles. Other life that might be familiar to the player from other places in Manoa Lai also includes smaller species like threespot dascyllus, green chromis, and Moorish idols under zoom-mode glows. While there are certainly a number of species present that aren't unique to the Ruins, one of the site's main draws besides its archaeological significance is the stunning variety of marine life unique to the area (or at least unique in that it lives there year-round rather than being seasonal). This includes larger creatures such as patrolling whale sharks, a room home to Atlantic tarpon, a mysterious beluga seemingly summoned by a strange bracelet, Nomura's jellyfish at night, and a pod of bottlenose dolphins that make their home in the very center of the ruins. There are also smaller creatures that can only be found here, such as the horseshoe crab and the notoriously elusive isoginpo. The Ruins are also home to an unusually wide variety of sea slugs; though many of these species can be found elsewhere, there is an unusually diverse congregation here. These sea slugs include striped white sea slugs found in the hallway structures to the northwest, orange and black sea slugs found upon the large flat rocks on the ocean floor around the Ruins structure itself, and parade-float sea slugs found on those same rocks. Others that seem to be more active here than in many other places include the spotted white, branched, and luminescent sea slugs, all of which are found on the floors inside of the ruins themselves. The aforementioned flat rocks can also have zoom-mode spots that are home to small fish like whitespotted boxfish, green chromis, and red-spotted blennies. Location and Geography The Underwater Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll can be accessed by entering Mo'ia Atoll from coordinates D-6 in the southwestern area of the Manoa Lai Sea. Some of the passageways within the Ruins are blocked by unnaturally strong currents (meaning that swimming down them is a one-way trip). As it turns out, these currents are caused by ancient mechanisms spouting water at a high enough pressure to sweep the player away and not be able to swim against it. This can make navigating the halls somewhat difficult, if the player does not know their way around. The treasures found in the Ruins are the Deity Idol and the Inscribed Nephrite, both of which are in four scattered pieces. As well as these, the Life Beads can eventually be unlocked, and they in turn unlock the orca in Ship's Rest during the daytime. Landmarks Central Hall Central Hall is, as its name suggests, in the center of the ruins. The Hall is home to some smaller fish, but the main attraction here is the only pod of bottlenose dolphins in the game. Along with this, a dead-end tunnel located near the bottom of the Hall leads to one of six mysterious stone tablets situated all around the Ruins. One of the ruin's characteristic one-way hallways leads into the Hall. Inside the Ruins Inside of the Ruins of Mo'ia Atoll, the player is greeted with a mazelike configuration of sprawling hallways and rooms, holes in the ceiling shedding sunlight onto the floor of the otherwise dim passageways. Only two of the rooms here are given names - the Room of Oracles and the Prince's Room. There are two one-way hallways, one of which leads into Central Hall and the other of which leads to the room prior to the Prince's (the room with the hole in the ceiling). In-Game Dialogue When the player first enters Mo'ia Atoll and subsequently discovers the Ruins, Kat will come over the radio after a short pause, astonished: "Oh my gosh... That's amazing! This isn't supposed to be here. There are no reports of ancient ruins in this area... Could this have something to do with Manoa Lai's legendary flood? Listen, this is a big deal. Let's leave the whale shark research for now. Search this area for as long as you can, then get back to the boat." After the player explores the area and gets back to the boat, Kat will approach the player and say: "That was amazing! I had no idea there were ruins there! It's like you're my good-luck charm or something... You know, there are lots of myths and legends surrounding Manoa Lai... And the Ruins could be the key to unlocking them. One of the most prominent myths talks about a sunken island kingdom. Oh my gosh... I bet you actually FOUND IT! And my professors told me I was wasting my time out here... Ha! Take that, snotty academic types! Huh? What? Oh, sorry! Just muttering about the past... Don't mind me." The player will then receive an email about the Ruins from Alfred Thorman that reads as follows: "Subject: The Ruins From: Alfred Thorman We have received your report. It seems that you made quite the discovery during your examination of the whale shark. We still can't rule out the possibility that the remains you found on the ocean floor are natural formations. Similar topography has been found near Yonakuni, Japan. In any case, further investigation demands the utmost discretion. I shall being contacting geological and archaeological researchers who can be trusted with discretion. (With the government's finds, of course.) ''-Alfred Thorman"'' When the player returns to this area after having first explored it, the currents will have died down, allowing them to enter and leave at their leisure. Kat comments on this, saying: "Hmmm… Remember how the current was so strong before? Now it's calm! I wonder what happened? Oh well! I won't ask if you don't! I guess we can enter the Ruins now." Notes * This area seems to be based almost directly off of the Yonaguni Monument, a strange structure off of the coast of Japan. There is debate concerning whether or not the structure is man-made, considering its strangely regular architecture and other noteworthy aspects. * This is the only sub-area in the game to include more than one befriendable species of dolphin, those being the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Beluga. Gallery Mo'ia Atoll (Cutscene).png|The player looking over the Atoll when they first enter. Mo'ia Atoll 2.png|A view of some of the hallway structures from above. Mo'ia Atoll 3.png|One of the various archways around the Ruins. Mo'ia Atoll Ceiling Damage 1.png|A view of the damage in the ceiling of one of the rooms of the Ruins. Mo'ia Atoll Ceiling Damage 2.png|A different view of the damage. Marige Atoll Face-Shaped Rock.png|The three mysterious face-shaped carvings to the North of the Ruins. Mo'ia Atoll Middle Face Monument.png|A closer view of the middle face-shaped monument. Mo'ia Atoll Air Bubble.png|The player beneath the air bubble in one of the later rooms. Category:Locations Category:Locations in Endless Ocean Category:Major Locations in Endless Ocean Category:Endless Ocean Category:Mo'ia Atoll Category:Ruins